Pussy Riot Brings Inclusiveness and Vagina Flags to Chop Suey

Pussy Riot isn’t a band. They’re activists, educators, screamers, video producers, protesters, and performance artists who only recently started doing this music thing (their words). And the most important thing to know about Pussy Riot is that, well, anyone can be Pussy Riot.

And that’s really true. Although their performance on Thursday, March 22 at Chop Suey was theoretically helmed by activist and artist Nadya Tolokonnikova, one might never know, as she and her DJ partner wore masks and performed in near-darkness. It’s not exactly a surprise that Pussy Riot members would want to keep their identity a secret, considering about a third of them, including Tolokonnikova, have been imprisoned by Vladimir Putin’s regime for “hooliganism” – by which they mean performing anti-religious and anti-authoritarian art pieces in Orthodox churches.

The show itself was a mix of technicolor gym shorts, Youtube video backdrops, and lots of anti-Putin, anti-Trump, and anti-police state language. Indeed, the Youtube videos feature a good deal of what grown-ups might yell at kids to get off their lawn for. It was NSFW, but after the last year or more of watching our own authoritarian regime rise into their capitalist kleptocracy, being at the Pussy Riot show was like being at the Women’s March on steroids.

Pussy Riot’s songs are actually catchy, regardless of whether you can understand the Russian. The video backdrops featured colorful dildos, colorful language, and colorful flags. Tolokonnikova performed in gym shorts and a Hello Kitty backpack, with a rigorous routine of calisthenics, statements about oppression, fighting the system, and being prepared to take on the man. The first rule of dystopian nightmares is cardio.

The set was short, but featured fan favorites like “Police State,” “Bad Apples,” “Make America Great Again,” and “Elections”. The show closed with a punk rock celebration of vaginas, the matriarchy, and a proclamation that “Vagina is the new dick” on a candy-colored flag waved around. Surrounded by ladies yelling “Don’t play stupid, don’t play dumb, where’s your vagina really from?” was enough to make this reviewer want to burn all her bras.

Probably the best thing about a Pussy Riot show is the inclusiveness. The collective are activists who demand education, housing, and justice for all. Simple, good things against a scenery of fun that literally anyone can join.

Meredith Smith is a writer in Seattle, whose musical roots date back to mid-90s ska and punk shows. She writes about the intersection of politics and music, as well as upcoming shows and Seattle events.

Today, June 5, Bandcamp is waiving their revenue share in order to help artists and labels impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that every purchase you make on the site today goes 100% toward...

SMI (Seattle Music Insider)'s founder, Greg Roth, has taken on the challenges of an Obliteride changed by COVID-19. He's using it to one-up the game, not only cycling for cancer research but also for COVID research and Seattle's beloved music event production company, Artist Home, which produces Canceled: Timber! Outdoor Music Festival. He's literally going the distance. ... See MoreSee Less

Seattle Music Insider editor Christine Mitchell here. I’d like to tell you a little bit about my awesome boss, Greg Roth. I started working with SMI in 2013, and right from the beginning I was struc...

Those who already know Annie J may know about her vocal prowess through The Seattle Rock Orchestra, Sidecar, Nick Foster Band, and many other ensembles that prefer working with one of the best singers...

😭😭😭We are saddened to say that Timber! Outdoor Music Festival 2020 is canceled.

While we need a party now more than ever, we are going to miss you this year. Be safe and take care of the people around you. We will be back in 2021 to celebrate music, the outdoors, and community. Be well.

Automatic refunds will be issued via Bold Type Tickets. All ticket holders should expect a full refund to the card they used to make their purchase within 10 - 14 days.

We at Artist Home have turned our attention to helping artists, venues, and cultural institutions during this time. If you are in a position to do so, consider making a donation to Artist Home to help support our work of supporting local musicians experiencing hardships. To learn more about what we’re doing and how you can support us, visit bit.ly/supportartisthome.